| | |  News Around the Republic of Mexico | September 2008 
Mexico Independence Day Blast Kills Three, Wounds 50
 Agence France-Presse
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| | The explosions hit crowds gathered in Morelia's central square. | | |
Mexico City - At least three people died with another 50 wounded overnight when twin explosions ripped through a Mexican independence day celebration in Morelia, the government said Tuesday.
President Felipe Calderon's office said it "condemned the violence in the strongest terms and will double efforts to support the ongoing investigation and to rid Michoacan of these crimes and violence."
Governor Leonel Godoy of Michoacan state confirmed the toll from the explosions in a main square in the center of the city where thousands of people had gathered to commemorate the 198th anniversary of independence, according to the websites of Mexican newspapers.
The explosions occured shortly before midnight (0500 GMT) and just after the beginning of a re-enactment of the cry of independence known as "El Grito," a traditional ceremony celebrated throughout the country.
Responsibility for the explosions, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) west of Mexico City, was not immediately clear, but dozens of police engaged in a shootout after chasing suspects in the vicinity, the El Sol de Morelia newspaper reported.
The army also took control of the entryways and exits of Morelia as well as city nightspots, the paper said.
Violence has spiked across Mexico since Calderon, who took office at the end of 2006, launched a crackdown on drug trafficking and related attacks.
Despite deploying more than 36,000 soldiers nationwide, including in his home state of Michoacan, almost 3,000 people have been killed this year, including 24 killed execution-style and whose bodies were found Friday near a national park in Mexico state.
Calderon participated Monday night in "El Grito" in Mexico City's central Zocalo square where tens of thousands of people gathered without incident to mark the event. |
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